Spiders of North Carolina

Arachnids of North Carolina

Order:
Scientific Name: Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

Mecaphesa asperata - Northern crab spider Thomisidae Members:			NC Records	BugGuide Account	Public View

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Distribution Records
PDF

Vetting Levels

Adult phenology:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge

synonym

taxonomic_comments

This species was originally described by Walckenaer in 1837 as Thomisus asperatus (Latin, meaning "rough"). During the 19th Century, it was placed in the genera Misumena, Misumessus and Misumenops (subsequently remaining in the third of those genera throughout the 20th Century). In 2008 Lehtinen and Marusik redefined Mesuminops, and placed asperata (and some other species) in Mecaphesa.

species_comment

A large, white-marked V bordering the heart mark on the anterior opisthosoma and numerous small dots on the legs help to differentiate this species for M. celer.

id_comments

total_length

structural_features

silk_web

fld_guide_descriptions

"The prosoma is yellow to tan and occasionally looks pale green, with a pair of broad brown lines on either side of the midline. There are numerous spines on the surface, giving it a somewhat hairy appearance. The opisthosoma is yellow, with red to brown spots. A V-shaped marking in pale white to yellow starts at the anterior and opens toward the posterior. The legs are pale yellow and have lots of small dark spots. The legs are unbanded in the female, while the males have dark red rings at each joint. The legs are proportionally much longer in the males than the females." (Rose, 2022)

online_photos

prey

predators

behavior

Lies in wait on flowers and ambushes insect foragers, often larger than itself.

distribution_reference

Rose, 2022

technical_reference

Dondale, Charles D. and James H. Redner. 1978. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Part 5. The crab spiders of Canada and Alaska, Araneae: Philodromidae and Thomisidae. Research Branch Agriculture Canada Publication 1663: 255pp.

Lehtinen, P. T. & Marusik, Y. M. (2008). A redefinition of Misumenops F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (Araneae, Thomisidae) and review of the New World species. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 14(4): 173-198.

adult_id

1 identifiable by photo 2 identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info 3 identifiable from specimen only

abundance

distribution_comments

Nationwide, and into southern Canada

checklist_mt_high
>=4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom	Frequency Regular – almost always observed on given visit; >=90% chance of observation Frequent – usually observed on a given visit; >=50%<90% chance of observation Infrequent – observed less than 50% of visits; >=25%<50% chance of observation Occasional – observed on only on a small minority of visits; >=10%<25% chance of observation Seldom – not usually seen on visits; <10% chance of observation These terms refer to visits to appropriate habitats made at appropriate times of the year, making use of common sampling/observation methods. Under those conditions, Frequency refers to the chance of observing at least one individual on a given visit made anywhere within a particular region, or over multiple visits to a single site.

checklist_mt_low
<4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_pd
Piedmont

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_cp
Coastal Plain

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

habitat

old field, bog

observation_methods

state_protection

NHP_ranks

NHP_status

status_comments

Photo Gallery for Mecaphesa asperata Northern crab spider
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp Edgecombe Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Mitchell Co. Comment: Base color was yellow. Opisthosoma was hirsute.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Mitchell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp Johnston Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wayne Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Anson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Catawba Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Davie Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger McDowell Co. Comment: Male.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp Lenoir Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Opisthosoma was distinct olive green color.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Lee Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp Harnett Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Columbus Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Duplin Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Pender Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Specimen was collected Photo to document spider overwinters in NC.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Brunswick Co. Comment: Photo taken on Nov. 25.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Each photo is a different spider.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Each photo is a different spider.
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Each photo is a different spider.	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Owen & Pat McConnell, Phil & Ann Weinrich Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark BASINGER & Donald ZEPP Greene Co. Comment: Swept from weeds near swampy area	Recorded by: Mark BASINGER & Donald ZEPP Greene Co. Comment: Swept from weeds near swampy area
	Recorded by: J. Perry Stokes Co. Comment: HARO - CCC Trail @ -80.256989, 36.406981	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Rutherford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG - Obs. ranger residence. Female.	Recorded by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG - Obs. ranger residence. Female.
	Recorded by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG - Obs. ranger residence. Female.	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: on Common Milkweed
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn Orange Co. Comment: On a Quercus alba on the woods edge behind our house	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Randolph Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: body 2.5 mm, caught during a sweep through low vegetation
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: body 2.5 mm, caught during a sweep through low vegetation	Recorded by: Mark Basinger Surry Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Donald Zepp Johnston Co. Comment: Captured by sweeping weeds, small saplings, & bushes.	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wayne Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Pat Momich Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Pat Momich Madison Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Surry Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Kyle Kittelberger Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: T. DeSantis Durham Co. Comment: ENRI	Recorded by: T. DeSantis Durham Co. Comment: ENRI
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Stanly Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Burke Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Halifax Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Jim Petranka Jackson Co. Comment: resting on grass-of-parnassus petal on dripping rockface; elevation 5500'
	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment:

Photo Gallery for Mecaphesa asperata Northern crab spider